Yesterday on the way to the dentist, I was bopping along the freeway in
the Plymouth with the top down and realized that I was behind one of
those TeleAtlas camera cars, the ones that take the constant photos for
Google Maps Street View.
I'll have to check Google and see if N. and I made the cut in a few weeks or so.
Of course, I couldn't resist making a huge, sappy-happy :) face for the camera as we passed. Regardless, it gave me a giggle.
Jack
Friday, August 31, 2007
Saturday, August 18, 2007
More From The OC Fair...
Before I forget, a few more pics from the Orange County Fair, now gone for another year...
This we found just plain amusing, some wag had set up the Gideon Bible folks directly across from a tarot/palm reader:
I felt kind of sorry for the bible people, their booth was empty while the tarot reader was pipin'.
We visited the show chickens the day they were there, and ran across this unlikely duo:
While the Polish rooster on the right is obviously smitten and very much in love, the Antwerpener Bartswerge hen is having none of it, she is all fluffed up and flared out, and by her repeated growls we could tell she would like nothing better than to have a go at this nervy fellow.
I do believe she was guarding the egg she'd laid. Those Antwerpener bantams DID have damned cute, fluffy faces though, and now I have ANOTHER breed to add to my 'want' list:
She looks like a stuffed toy, I swear.
This we found just plain amusing, some wag had set up the Gideon Bible folks directly across from a tarot/palm reader:
I felt kind of sorry for the bible people, their booth was empty while the tarot reader was pipin'.
We visited the show chickens the day they were there, and ran across this unlikely duo:
While the Polish rooster on the right is obviously smitten and very much in love, the Antwerpener Bartswerge hen is having none of it, she is all fluffed up and flared out, and by her repeated growls we could tell she would like nothing better than to have a go at this nervy fellow.
I do believe she was guarding the egg she'd laid. Those Antwerpener bantams DID have damned cute, fluffy faces though, and now I have ANOTHER breed to add to my 'want' list:
She looks like a stuffed toy, I swear.
RIP...
My vacuum cleaner has died. The one I've had since roughly 1981. The
one my brother teased me about the day I purchased it, because I called him
and excitedly gushed about it, it worked so well. The one that was my
first major appliance purchase.
I abused the Hell out of that thing. Vacuum cleaners are supposed to be tough as nails in my opinion, and this one was. It was a canister vac with a power head and attachments, and I went ahead and got the best one I could, reasoning that it would last for a long time. I'd say I got my money's worth out of it...
Over the years it has had several repairs, and parts replaced when they wore out. This time, it had a catastrophic failure, akin to multiple organ failure on a human when you get old and just plain wear out. It needed a new cord, and a new cord reel, as it had stopped retracting the cord. The on/off foot pedal no longer worked and you had to push the button by hand. The worse was the power head--it would randomly fall off and/or spin around, because the steel clip in the tube steel part of the shaft had broken off. All of these things together made cleaning the floor a frustrating and dumb experience as the power head flopped around like a stunned bass.
So off it went to the Sears repair center, where they goggled at it when I brought it in, exclaiming, "That's OLD!" Watch it there, sister, it ain't THAT old. After they had had it for a week I got a telephone call one day...parts for it were no longer available.
Well. OK, time to shop for a new vacuum.
Meanwhile, I have to go down and pick up the old one. I figure I'll put a 'free vacuum' ad on Craigslist, maybe someone who has NO vacuum at all could still use it, even in it's disjointed, ridiculous state. After all, the thing DID still work, and picked up dirt just fine. It made me feel better knowing I could recycle the thing that way.
No dice, the repair folk, in their wisdom, have cut the end off of the plug. Why?! I end up tossing the thing in the trash with much grumbling.
So I make another Major Appliance Purchase, and lug home the new vacuum cleaner.
Which is identical to the old one, except this one sports a snazzy metallic burgundy finish. It even COSTS about the same as the old one originally did.
The new one does sport push-button controls on the wand rather than a foot pedal, and includes another, oh-so-nifty, extra small powerhead for cleaning auto upholstery. It has a little set of LED lights that shift from red to green when the floor is clean enough to please it's sensors. It's nine different types of cool, and quieter than the old one, I have to admit.
But I'm amused by how little things have changed over 26 years.
I abused the Hell out of that thing. Vacuum cleaners are supposed to be tough as nails in my opinion, and this one was. It was a canister vac with a power head and attachments, and I went ahead and got the best one I could, reasoning that it would last for a long time. I'd say I got my money's worth out of it...
Over the years it has had several repairs, and parts replaced when they wore out. This time, it had a catastrophic failure, akin to multiple organ failure on a human when you get old and just plain wear out. It needed a new cord, and a new cord reel, as it had stopped retracting the cord. The on/off foot pedal no longer worked and you had to push the button by hand. The worse was the power head--it would randomly fall off and/or spin around, because the steel clip in the tube steel part of the shaft had broken off. All of these things together made cleaning the floor a frustrating and dumb experience as the power head flopped around like a stunned bass.
So off it went to the Sears repair center, where they goggled at it when I brought it in, exclaiming, "That's OLD!" Watch it there, sister, it ain't THAT old. After they had had it for a week I got a telephone call one day...parts for it were no longer available.
Well. OK, time to shop for a new vacuum.
Meanwhile, I have to go down and pick up the old one. I figure I'll put a 'free vacuum' ad on Craigslist, maybe someone who has NO vacuum at all could still use it, even in it's disjointed, ridiculous state. After all, the thing DID still work, and picked up dirt just fine. It made me feel better knowing I could recycle the thing that way.
No dice, the repair folk, in their wisdom, have cut the end off of the plug. Why?! I end up tossing the thing in the trash with much grumbling.
So I make another Major Appliance Purchase, and lug home the new vacuum cleaner.
Which is identical to the old one, except this one sports a snazzy metallic burgundy finish. It even COSTS about the same as the old one originally did.
The new one does sport push-button controls on the wand rather than a foot pedal, and includes another, oh-so-nifty, extra small powerhead for cleaning auto upholstery. It has a little set of LED lights that shift from red to green when the floor is clean enough to please it's sensors. It's nine different types of cool, and quieter than the old one, I have to admit.
But I'm amused by how little things have changed over 26 years.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Bye, Liz...
Just a little while ago, Elizabeth left us.
This is Liz cooling off on a hot day.
We were forced to buy Elizabeth, a Jersey Giant hen, BY Elizabeth one day in 2003 when we went to the feed store. Liz ran over from across the pen and chased after us up and down the fence, staring at us and crying until we gave in. It was weird, her whole attitude was one of, "Where have you BEEN?! I've been waiting and waiting!". We couldn't resist those great, dark, melting eyes though. No idea how old she was since she was an adult when we bought her.
Liz was extremely sweet and friendly, calm and never mean. She was polite and had excellent manners. She sported beautiful greenish-black feathers and black legs, and laid many truly huge dark brown eggs. We lost her daughter, Rita, earlier this year but Elizabeth's granddaughter, Skitters, is still with us.
She was lovely old girl and we'll miss her.
This is Liz cooling off on a hot day.
We were forced to buy Elizabeth, a Jersey Giant hen, BY Elizabeth one day in 2003 when we went to the feed store. Liz ran over from across the pen and chased after us up and down the fence, staring at us and crying until we gave in. It was weird, her whole attitude was one of, "Where have you BEEN?! I've been waiting and waiting!". We couldn't resist those great, dark, melting eyes though. No idea how old she was since she was an adult when we bought her.
Liz was extremely sweet and friendly, calm and never mean. She was polite and had excellent manners. She sported beautiful greenish-black feathers and black legs, and laid many truly huge dark brown eggs. We lost her daughter, Rita, earlier this year but Elizabeth's granddaughter, Skitters, is still with us.
She was lovely old girl and we'll miss her.
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